Unwelcome surprises
by thelittlestlamb
Summary: The Doctor, Martha and Jack are setting off on yet another adventure. The Doctor finds a letter from Rose in amongst all of her possesions she left behind. After landing in the year 11010, Jack is greeted with an unwelcome surprise.
1. Chapter 1

The Doctor watched Jack and Martha from the centre of the Tardis as they started to swap tales about previous alien encounters. As he watched his two companions conversing, he felt his thoughts drift back, as they often did, to Rose. He wondered what she was doing, if she was still with Mickey and if she still thought of him at all. He knew he would never forget her, and he knew he would always resent the fact he never told her he loved her. She would hate the thought of Martha being there with him, he knew that, but he knew that he couldn't stand being alone again, not after her. It wasn't the same, but it was a small comfort to know there was someone with him who cared if he lived or died. He felt a tear roll down his cheek as her face became clearer in his mind and he crept away to a corner of the Tardis to be alone for a while. He sank down to the floor next to a pile of Rose's belongings that he had never been able to give back to her and ran his hand over her bag, pulling out the T-shirt that was poking through the open zip. He let the material run through his fingers, remembering how she felt against him whenever he hugged her. He held the top up to his face and smelled it, more tears prickling his eyes as her sweet, familiar smell filled his head again. With shaking hands, he unzipped the bag for the first time since she had left. Why it had taken him this long, he didn't know. He curiously pulled out a small black box he had never seen before from the bottom of the bag and removed the lid, feeling his breath catch in his throat as he saw what it contained. A paper hat from a Christmas cracker, a few blades of grass, a child's drawing and a piece of cracked glass didn't seem that much, but it meant so much to him. The hat was from their last Christmas together, the grass was from their visit to New Earth, the drawing was one of him and the Tardis by Chloe Webber and the glass was from the sanctuary base where they had encountered The Beast. In true Rose-style, she had scavenged small, meaningless items from different worlds and made them special. In the bottom of the box was an envelope with his name on it. He opened it carefully and pulled out the letter.

_Doctor,_

_If you're reading this, then there's a good chance we've said goodbye for the last time, as I know I won't be letting you read it if I'm there. I also know it probably happened quite suddenly, as I refuse point-blank to leave you by choice, which means I may not have had the chance to say this._

_I love you, Doctor. You have changed my life completely and shown me things I would never have seen if we had never met. From the first time you told me to run, you have been protecting me. You've saved my life countless times, and for that I am so grateful. _

_I can't find words to express how much you mean to me. You've taken my life and made it exciting. I know, however, that every perfect situation has to go wrong at some point, so I suppose this is my advance way of saying goodbye. Even as I look over at the new you now, I wonder how many surprises you still have to spring on me. Can't wait!_

_Anyway, I think we're about to land soon, so I'd better stop writing before you see what I'm doing._

_I will always be,_

_Your Rose _

The Doctor felt tears running down his face and he made no move to get rid of them. For once he just wanted to be miserable.

"Doctor?"

The Doctor closed his eyes as he tried not to let the unmistakable American accent get to him.

"Not now, not now" he mouthed to himself before getting to his feet. Sure enough, he came face to face with Captain Jack Harkness

"Doctor, are you OK?" That was Martha.

"Fine," he replied. "Never better" he added quietly to himself.

There was a pause before Jack spoke again.

"Well, we landed ten minutes ago, so are you coming out?"

The Doctor sighed quietly and emerged from his hiding place. Seeing his not-carefully-hidden-enough tear-stained face, Jack spoke again.

"Are you sure you're OK?" he asked, as the Doctor pocketed the small piece of paper in his hand.

"I'm always OK."

Martha cast a sideways glance at Jack.

"You were thinking about Rose, weren't you?" she asked softly.

Emotions unknown to the Doctor before Rose flooded both of his hearts and he had to hastily blink back tears. When he next spoke, to Martha's surprise, his tone was fairly bitter.

"Honestly, you're on an unknown planet and you've been sitting inside this box for ten minutes waiting for me. Come on."

He darted past them to the doors of the Tardis and wrenched them open, reeling back in surprise as a hoard of angry locals crowded round the door roared their disapproval.

"I'm guessing we either crashed a party or they really don't like visitors" Jack commented.

Martha stared at him. Then she looked back outside to the mob of angry people. They had human shapes, but they had narrow slits for eyes and noses, and their teeth were sharp and pointed. Each one had a pale, greenish tinge to their skin and their eyes were all pupils.

"Why aren't they coming in?" Martha asked the Doctor, who was studying them closely.

"They can't. They need to be invited in. That's one thing about these guys, they'll kill you, but they'll do it politely. Good manners are really important to them."

Martha's mouth dropped open.

"If they can't come in unless invited…..You mean they're vampires?"

Jack snorted and the Doctor grinned, causing a hot blush of embarrassment to grace Martha's cheeks.

"Oh, I love how humans' imaginations work" laughed Jack. "Vampires don't exist, Martha. Well, I've never met one."

"Then what are they?"

The Doctor paused before answering.

"They're humans."

Martha stared at them.

"How can they be humans? I'm human, and I don't look like that!"

Jack looked at her patronisingly.

"They've evolved. You're forgetting we've travelled in time. And this is only one type of human. Even in the early 21st century, you're all different. Different races. Well, this is one type of human race in the…..when are we?"

"About 9000 years into your future, Martha. And don't look now, Jack, but I see a familiar figure here."

Jack joined the Doctor at the doors of the Tardis and gaped. In amongst the angry mob of the future human race was himself.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack stared at the narrow-eyed version of himself, and the other Jack stared back. A look of both horror and surprise was visible on both faces. The Doctor groaned and slammed the Tardis doors shut before running to the centre and hastily pressed some buttons to get them away.

"What the hell's going on?" cried Martha as the Tardis hurtled them away. She noticed Jack was looking slightly green. "Jack, are you OK?"

"Of course he's not OK!" yelled the Doctor "How would you feel if you had seen yourself like that?"

Martha thought. Then shuddered.

"Anyway" the Doctor continued to Jack. "That was a big mistake, me pointing him out. I don't think you two were ever supposed to cross paths. I just hope that-"

The Doctor was cut off by a massive jolt from the Tardis.

"Ah. I think we've just created a hole in this universe"

Jack stared at him. "And that's not good, right?"

The Doctor shook his head weakly as the Tardis rocked violently from side to side. Martha was shocked to see that his eyes were wide with horror. This scared her and Jack more than anything.

"Brace yourselves!" cried the Doctor urgently as the Tardis landed with a force that flung all three of them to the floor.

Jack looked up, shaking slightly. He pulled himself to his feet and helped Martha up too. They stared at the Doctor, who was sitting against the centre of the Tardis. For once, he was speechless.

"Doctor?"

The Doctor turned to Jack

"We fell out of the vortex, right?" A nod from the Doctor encouraged him to continue. "Does that mean we could be in a parallel universe?" Another nod. "Then…could this be…"

"Rose's universe?" finished Martha.

The Doctor looked hard at Jack. He sighed.

"Unlikely. It's literally a billion to one chance. And it's another billion to one chance that if we are in the right universe, we're on Earth. Still, worth a look."

Jack joined him at the doors of the Tardis. They were pulled open to reveal a blue sky, tall buildings and humans. Normal humans. They were, indeed, on a parallel Earth. Martha pulled a newspaper down from a kiosk.

"Well, would you look at that? London, definitely, and the year 2010. Not far off the original."

There was a sound of footsteps behind them as they stepped out further onto the pavement. A baby started to cry as a woman's voice became audible.

"Oh, my God!"

The Doctor spun on his feet. Jackie Tyler, closely followed by Pete Tyler, who was carrying a beautiful three-year-old girl, was running towards him, her shopping discarded on the pavement. Her arms were outstretched and she pulled the Doctor into a bone breaking hug as soon as she was within reach.

"Jackie?!" gasped the Doctor. Then "Ow!" as she slapped him around the face.

"You broke my baby's heart!" cried Jackie, continuing to hit him with every word. "She was crying for months once you said goodbye!"

Jack leant forward.

"Seems like we made that one in a billion chance" he whispered into the Doctor's ear. The Doctor couldn't say anything. Had they really ended up back in that parallel world? Emotions overwhelmed him and he found himself running back into the Tardis, just to pull himself together. He found himself both laughing and crying as he started to dance around in the blue box. Jack poked his head around the door and laughed to see how happy he was. Suddenly, he stopped and frowned.

"How did that hole appear again? In the exact same place?"

Jack shrugged.

"Maybe you only patched it up instead of sewing it completely back together?"

The Doctor contemplated this thought, and then grinned again.

"Rose"

Jack nodded and smiled as the Doctor bounded out of the Tardis.

"So! Can I see Rose? What about Mickey – how's he?" he asked as he swept Jackie up into another hug.

"Mickey's fine, he's still with us, living with his Nan, bless him. Rose…she's in hospital at the moment, Doctor. She was in a car accident two days ago. Still out cold."

The Doctor's eyes widened with worry.

"Can I see her?"

Jackie nodded and started to walk away, beckoning him to follow her. As the Doctor did so, Martha sniffed and reached in her bag for a tissue. Jack hugged her, holding her tightly while he tried to comfort her as she wiped her eyes. She didn't want the Doctor to see her cry. If he even noticed now.

"Rose?" the Doctor whispered as he approached her bedside. He reached out to hold her hand and softly stroked her palm with his thumb. As soon as he touched her, Rose's eyelids fluttered open. The Doctor grinned as Jackie gasped. He turned to her and waved his other hand.

"Healing hands" he smiled.

Rose was confused as she came round. There were six heads swimming into focus, not the usual four that stayed by her constantly. Jackie, Pete, Mickey and the baby – nobody else was supposed to be there. As the nearest face became clearer, Rose gasped. Surely it couldn't be…

"Doctor?" she whispered. "Doctor!"

She let him hug her tightly and clung to him like she wished she could have done that day they had to say goodbye for the last time. She laughed, completely forgetting the pain she was in, and found tears rolling fast and thick down her cheeks. The Doctor let her go and studied her face, tears also glistening in his eyes. He squeezed her hand as her eyes fell on Jack, causing her to emit another shriek. Jack hugged her and kissed her forehead as fresh tears started to flow. He tactfully failed to mention that it was her fault he couldn't die. Then Rose's eyes landed on Martha, who smiled.

"I'm Martha."

Rose turned to the Doctor, hurt and tearful.

"You replaced me?"

Feeling Jackie's glare bore into the back of his head, the Doctor began to protest.

"No, no, no! I could never replace you! I just…got lonely."

Martha fought back tears.

"He talks about you all the time, seriously. Never stops."

The Doctor nodded earnestly.

"I never got to say it before, so believe me, I'm going to say it now. I love you, Rose. Always will."

Martha couldn't take it. She crept from the hospital wing, and once in the corridor, broke into a run. She barged past nurses and doctors, and as she ran out of the door, she stopped dead. The narrow-eyed, fanged Jack Harkness was standing right in front of her, grinning maliciously.

Back up in the hospital wing, the Doctor failed to notice the terrified scream that was carried up on the wind from the front of the hospital.


	3. Chapter 3

Martha looked around her in astonishment.

"Where the hell am I?"

The future-Jack looked at her blankly. He shrugged and grabbed her hand to try and lead her away.

"You follow, please."

There were the manners the Doctor had mentioned. _"They'll kill you, but they'll do it politely" _Oh great, she had spent the last year or so travelling with Jack and the Doctor and she was going to end up with a polite death?

Once he had grabbed her, she had been taken to the middle of a nearby wood, and she could tell he was lost. He retraced their steps, still clasping her hand tightly. Martha hated how this Jack's hand felt. It was cold and clammy, and yet the Jack Harkness she had come to love had a soft and gentle but firm grip. She closed her eyes and let herself be led away, knowing there was no way the Doctor would be thinking of her. Not now he was with Rose again. She felt tears seep from under her closed eyelids as she pictured the two of them together.

----

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, the Doctor was helping Rose back into her usual clothes. The doctors had been amazed at how any sign of pain had completely vanished from her body, and had let her go home, where Jackie, Pete and little Bethany were waiting. Smiling, Rose shrugged into her jacket and clasped the Doctor's hand in hers. She wasn't letting him get away again.

"Doctor?"

"Mmm?"

"How long are you here for?"

"We'll be leaving again as soon as possible."

A silence fell between them, almost teasing both of them. The Doctor decided to settle the question.

"Do you want to come with us?"

Rose grinned and leapt into his arms. He caught her and laughed, holding her close.

"Take that as a yes, then."

Rose giggled.

"Wait, what about Mum? Mickey? Dad and Beth?"

The Doctor thought for a second.

"We could take them back to the estate. Back to the day after you left home?"

Rose smiled.

"So it's like we never left?"

The Doctor nodded and laughed again as Rose threw herself at him once more. She wouldn't let go, and they were both giggling as the Doctor carried her to the door of the hospital wing, where they came face to face with Jack. He had a puzzled look on his face.

"Anyone seen Martha?"

-----

Martha was by the Tardis. Future-Jack had led her by the hand to it, and was now pointing at it expressively. Martha understood what he wanted.

"It's rude to point" she commented in a bitter fashion, and her attacker hung his head in what appeared to be shame. Fighting back an urge to laugh, Martha hopped into the Tardis, followed closely by the new Jack.

"Please, God, help me" she murmured.

As soon as these quiet words escaped her lips, the dark and silent Tardis hummed back into life.

"I love you!" she thought – knowing full well that the Tardis would understand her. But how would it get rid of the new Jack?

-------

The Doctor froze. Martha! In all the excitement about finding Rose, he had completely forgotten about her.

"Jack, you go back to the Tardis, I'll check places I know she'd want to visit. Rose, honey, you go back to Jackie and Pete and pack! Hang on…" he stopped to plant a long kiss on Rose's lips, leaving her feeling dizzy and light-headed before running off with a wicked grin plastered on his face. Rose was finally his!

"I've always been yours, silly!" shouted Rose after him, and he turned on his heel to give her a cheeky wink before he turned his concentration back to Martha.

-----

As Jack – the normal Jack – rounded the corner, he was surprised to see that the Tardis' doors were open and somebody was inside.

"Martha?" he called.

A slight pause. Then –

"Jack!"

Jack started to sprint towards the Tardis. She sounded like she was in trouble. Through the doors, up the ramp, Jack was now at the centre of the Tardis, but he could not see Martha anywhere.

"Jack!"

Spinning on his heel, Jack found where the voice was coming from. He felt sick to the stomach once he saw the future version of himself, but shook it off quickly and started to run towards the struggling couple. He paused as he was about to start wrestling him off Martha, remembering something the Doctor had said before. If the two of them made contact…

The only thing he could do at the moment was to stall him – make sure he didn't hurt Martha. He stared at the other Jack for a moment.

"What do you want? Why are you here?"

The future Jack opened his mouth, closed it again and then started to speak.

"Doctor…travel…back to way I was. Before no death."

Jack understood and breathed a sigh of relief. So he just wanted to go back to how he was now. Well, who could blame him?

"You can't reverse this. You can never die. Remember what the Doctor said?"

The future version of Jack didn't seem to accept this. He let go of Martha and shoved her aside, before lunging at Jack, who dodged.

"No!" he yelled "You touch me and a universe collapses!"

Future Jack snarled.

"Then maybe I die…finally."

Jack finally understood the whole thing. This Jack wanted to die. Tired of living, he wanted to end it all. But…

Jack's eyes widened as he realised that that would literally be him in the future.

-----

Rose was waiting for the Doctor with Jackie, Pete and Bethany, her bags packed and her patience starting to leave her. Finally he appeared at the door, a worried look on his face.

"Took your time! Did you find her?"

The Doctor shook his head.

"I feel terrible, I was supposed to look after her."

Rose sighed.

"Did you check the Tardis?"

The Doctor's eyes widened. How could he have been so stupid? He had forgotten to check the most likely place she'd be! Rose raised an eyebrow.

"Idiot. Come on."

The others followed Rose out of the door. Mickey had chosen to stay behind with his Nan, so after a tearful goodbye, he had left.

As they rounded the corner to where the Tardis was, the Doctor broke into a sprint as he heard Jack's cries of fear and astonishment coming from within.


	4. Chapter 4

Pinned to the floor by the future Jack and a chair, Jack struggled to get free. The Doctor sprinted in, closely followed by Rose, who squealed with horror when she saw the two Jacks fighting each other. The Doctor grabbed the future Jack by the waist and pulled him away.

"Did he touch you?" he yelled as he tried to keep the future Jack still.

Jack shook his head, suddenly unable to breathe properly. Gasping for air and confused about why, he turned so he was on all fours and started coughing until he could breathe normally again. Martha ran to his side immediately.

"Thank you" she whispered into his ear. Jack smiled as she kissed his cheek and gave her a hug. The Doctor saw them and smiled slightly. He was OK about Jack flirting with Martha as long as he stayed away from Rose. Struggling with the future Jack, he finally managed to pin him down to the floor and yelled to Jackie and Pete to close the Tardis doors. Rose hastened to the centre of the Tardis and pushed buttons and pulled levers at the Doctor's instructions, flying them safely away, back to their own universe. Martha watched her, a pang of jealousy stabbing her heart. The Doctor had never done that with her, and Rose seemed so much more experienced than she ever would be.

---

Jack followed the Doctor out of the Tardis as he delivered the future Jack back to his own time and place. He looked into his eyes and then to the Doctor.

"Can I have a word with him?"

The Doctor shrugged.

"As long as you make it quick, make sure nobody sees you and don't be rude with him" he said with a small wink at the last condition. Jack smiled slightly and then turned back to the future version of himself.

"Why did you follow us?"

The future Jack thought for a second.

"Don't know…thought Doctor could change me…so I could die"

"Why do you want to die?"

"Too tired…too many wars, too many friends lost…"

"Wars? Friends? What do you mean?"

The future Jack smirked.

"I'm guessing you'll find out…soon enough…"

Jack glanced back towards the Tardis.

"Not...?" he gestured towards the Tardis.

"Don't think I should say…would damage timelines or something…ask the Doctor"

Jack sighed.

"You should...go…I've said all…I remember"

"You remember this?"

The future Jack nodded.

"Played it exactly…as it happened to me back then"

Jack laughed.

"Fair enough."

He turned back towards the Tardis and started to walk towards the door. He turned back for one last glimpse of himself, but the future Jack had already disappeared.

---

"Right then!" called the Doctor. "Tyler residence, London, England, year 2007?"

"Suits me!" Rose replied. Martha merely nodded, a tear forming in her eye. She couldn't help but feel insanely jealous now Rose was on board. Jack noticed and put his arm around her shoulder.

"I'm not staying" she murmured. "I can't."

Jack nodded. "I didn't think so."

Martha tried to swallow the lump now forming in her throat. "He'll probably forget me in time – now Rose is back. That's what I hate most, compared to her, I don't matter." Tears were now falling thick and fast and Jack handed her a handkerchief. When she had dried her eyes, she made to give it back but Jack shook his head.

"Keep it. And don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't forget you." He smiled at her, and she smiled gratefully back.

The Tardis appeared in the middle of Jackie's living room, and she, Bethany and Pete stepped out. When they turned back, Rose was at the door grinning.

"See ya later!" she sang, and the Tardis was gone, leaving Jackie shaking her head in disbelief.

On board the Tardis, the Doctor was sitting with Rose on his lap, his arm around her waist. He didn't want to let go, and Martha could see that. She took a deep breath.

"Doctor?"

"Mmm?"

"I want to go home."

Rose looked at Martha, and then at the Doctor. Jack did the same. The Doctor just looked at Martha, at loss for what to say.

"Oh…well, if that's what you want, then I suppose…"

He shifted Rose off his knee and set the new destination. The Tardis beeped and hummed happily, and soon they were appearing in Martha's street. Rose smiled at Martha as she walked past, only to receive a half-hearted one in return. Jack met her at the door and hugged her tightly. He kissed her briefly on the cheek and smiled.

"We'll miss you."

Martha smiled sadly and gave him one last hug before following the Doctor out of the Tardis. They stood in silence for a second, and Martha made to give the Doctor back his key to the Tardis.

"Keep it. We've all got one, and…if we ever cross paths again…you know you're welcome back."

Martha nodded, even though they both knew this would be the last time they saw each other. The Doctor rocked from his heels to the balls of his feet.

"So…"

Martha nodded. "Suppose this is goodbye, then."

The Doctor smiled. "You sure this is what you want?"

Martha nodded again. "I'd only feel like I was intruding on you and Rose."

The Doctor laughed. "Yeah, but Jack could use someone to bore with his tales of Torchwood."

Martha grinned. "Naaah, sorry."

The Doctor laughed again, and then swept her up into a hug.

"Thank you for everything" he murmured into her ear, and then he let go and walked back into the Tardis. Martha started to cry as she was left behind.

---

9,000 years later, and Jack had just hidden from the past version of himself. He had played it exactly as he had remembered it. Before he joined the other humans, he felt tears prick his eyes as he remembered losing Martha soon afterwards. The tears started to roll down his cheeks as he remembered Torchwood, and he sank down by the trunk of an old tree, crying for Rose and the Doctor, and the little time Jack had left with them.

A/N: As you can see, I've left room for a sequel ;-) Expected in the next few days!!

Review and happify me 


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